THE NEW YORKER he knows are wrong, and he has pared down the script to cut costs, chopping out the scenes that once meant the most to him but that he knows he can't get in the tight, ten-week shooting schedule he has been forced to accept. And then, at the last minute, a few days before shooting is to start, the studio is likely to slice the budget fur- ther-and he's down to a nine-week schedule, which means trimming the camera moves that were half the rea- son he'd been eager to work on the idea in the first place. Is it any wonder if the picture that comes out has a sour spirit? It may just barely come out any- way. If there's an executive shakeup during production or after the film is completed (and shakeups take place every few months) , the new studio head has nothing to gain if the film succeeds (he can't take credit for ini- tiating it); he may find it to his strate- gic advantage for the film to fail. The executives-bed-hoppers, who go from one berth to another-have no partic- ular loyalty to the studio, and there isn't the lower-echelon executive stabil- ity to launch a film initiated during the old regime with the same care as one initiated during the new regime. It all depends on the signals that come from the top. I F a big star and a big director show interest in a project, the executives will go along for a $14,000,000 or $15,000,000 budget even if, by the na- ture of the material, the picture should be small. And so what might have been a charming light entertainment that millions of people all over the world would en joy is inflated, rewritten to enlarge the star's part, and overscaled. It makes money in advance and sends people out of theatres complaining and depressed. Often, when people leave theatres now they're bewildered by the anXIOUS, nervous construction of the film-by the feeling it gIves them of ha ving been pieced together out of parts that don't fit. Movies have gone to hell and amateurism. A third of the pictures being made by Hollywood this year are in the hands of first-time di- rectors, who will receive almost no guidance or help. They're thrown rIght into a pressure-cooker situation, where any delay is costly. They may have come out of sit-corns, and their dia- logue will sound forced, as If it were all recorded in a large, empty ca ve ; they may have come out of nowhere and have never worked with actors be- fore. Even if a director is highly ex- perienced, he probably has certain char- 89 Spit 'n Polish from Britain // '! 0:.-..: ... t... {)fr:N :. <4V ' H fit " NnM'" ,H /:t, " .:'" :;...:. 0" '%. <<Ø? ---. , ,;::' ' ASTO ..THE f CR BI5-IJIS}f / ' " , ,:J ,',' R ,$H v.:' -{; rii' #' _ ",- ", " <:e: , ,<<"'- .. ;/)<<II" N ..... Introducing the Astonish cleaning system plus bonus- 3 free scouring sponges. The British have always held the high shine in high esteem. Now we can too with Astonish- paste for tough jobs, liquid for gentle. Between them, they'll gleam up sterling, stainless, aluminum, copper, lucite, stove tops, counters-the whole pantry, and Astonish is non-toxic and biodegradable. 15.00. The Pantry on 6, New York. And all stores. îrllul1 malin cour$ air lbll@j))miingdJall lI$ 1000 THIRD AVENUE NEW YORK (355-5900) OPEN LATE MONDAY AND THURSDAY '" ,. , , -;.;...:..:., .. -0 ' ." .:.... # ,', I"j f$ : , ' * "'<:::S' ' ;^ '*" .,.. , ' . .: -o- Uf " ' :: l' , 'f " "..... " -(< >1' ,'NY '.. .- -.' & ,.. -t .; . :. "'\ ' ;:,' , q -t. ,:",\ 1 ,,- : .6".; _'. " :' ë m '" :::... .." :::::: ft' :'W N ,::%>-', ',>:? .b.. ....... .. roft! :::,:.::., @ ''':'1 L, :, Lenox China. Because "VJ'hät: ýöu.::gl :: s1i 9 l?ó1!t: Î)tp:" ýöu are. -.. . . . ." " .. "0 . . . . Peacock Servel; length 8," $45.00. Pastoral Vase. 5" taft $34.00." Both hand-decorated with 24-K gold. The pnces Shown are $ e$ted fétaJJ pnces Qnty."